Travel to Iloilo

The itinerary shows us traveling to and exploring Iloilo for the morning of the first day followed by traveling to and exploring Guimaras in the afternoon until the next day and then back to Iloilo for the remaining days. After visiting several travel blogs and sites and making phone inquiries, we set the date, October 22-26, 2009, and got ready for the trip. Iloilo - Guimaras, here we come!

Our flight was scheduled to depart Davao City at 9:40AM and arrive in Cebu at 10:35AM. Since we booked a connecting flight, we had to stop over in Cebu to get to Iloilo. The Cebu to Iloilo schedule was supposed to depart Cebu by 2:30PM and arrive in Iloilo by 3:15PM. But unexpectedly, the flight was delayed due to a “Bird Strike.” We were placed on a different flight and were scheduled to depart by 6:40PM. So we ended up spending the entire day at Mactan International Airport. Sigh!

This actually resulted to changes in our itinerary. So from the original Guimaras first then Iloilo, we adjusted our itinerary to accommodate the delay.

From 7:10 to 7:30PM we traveled from the airport to the city proper. We checked in at the Fine Rock Hotel in Jalandoni Street. The hotel was fully booked but good thing there was still one room left. We found out why no one decided to stay there because the room was close to the exhaust of the kitchen. This meant that the room was noisy. But the noise will eventually die down when there are no more orders from the kitchen. So be forewarned, do not stay in Room 107. : ]

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~ Realization ~ When booking connecting flights, always expect the unexpected. Have a plan ready in case of delays and make sure your itinerary is flexible. And since we will be going back to Iloilo (day 4), we immediately placed a reservation so that we won’t end up in Room 107 again. : ]

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~ Suggestion ~ The van is good for persons traveling by group since you have to pay P500.00. For those who are traveling alone or as a pair, it would be much better to ride a taxi. Try to bargain with the driver or operator of the taxi if you can just pay P450.00

We spent our first morning in Iloilo by traveling to Santo Tomas de Villanueva Church in Miag-ao, Iloilo. This is most commonly called as the Miag-ao Church which is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. So this is a MUST-SEE. Unfortunately for us, the outside of the church was undergoing restoration.

How to get there. From the hotel (Jalandoni St.), cross the street and ride La Paz jeepney. The fare is P6.50 for students and P7.00 for regular passengers. Just tell the driver to drop you at Super. This is in front of a store named Sari-Sari. From Super, ride a jeep to Miag-ao. The signboard will say Miag-ao or San Juaquin or just simply ask the conductor. Fare is 35.00 for students and 40.00 for regular passengers. The travel itself will take almost an hour. You will pass by two churches along the road. The third one will be the Miag-ao church. Other landmarks near Miag-ao church are the Iloilo Miag-ao Municipal Hall and the Miag-ao Plaza. So hopefully, by the time you visit, the restoration will already be done. ; ]

To get back to the city, we rode a UPV Miag-ao jeep and got down somewhere in Molo. Our itinerary for the rest day was to eat the famous la paz batchoy and then travel to Guimaras. So from Molo, we rode a taxi to get to the nearest Ted’s (a famous batchoy house) which was located in front of SM Delgado (there are two SMs by the way in Iloilo; one in Delgado St. and another going to the airport).

Batchoy selections are as follows: P55.00 – Special (pork only), P58.00 – Super Special (pork + atay), and P60.00 – Extra Special (pork + atay + intestines). Pair it with puto or pandesal and then softdrinks. We recommend puto. : ]

We scheduled the island tour/hopping for the morning of day three followed by exploring the other spots in Guimaras in the afternoon. We also bought pasalubongs! Read about it here.

Sunday morning was our last day in Guimaras. Before noon, we were already back in Iloilo. We packed our stuff, toured the resort for the last time and then took pictures. We left Guimaras with wonderful memories, white sand, and mangoes, mangoes, and more mangoes.

Back in Iloilo, we continued exploring the city and attended mass in one of Iloilo’s churches. From the hotel, we rode a jeepney going to Jaro Liko and got down at the Museo Iloilo. Since it was Sunday, the museum was closed. So we just took pictures of whatever came to mind and then proceeded to the Jaro Metropolitan Cathedral. Too bad the church is being renovated. We rode a jeepney going to CPU and stopped by Nelly’s Garden, a white house which is actually a mansion. Since it was already noon, we had our lunch at Gaisano and afterwards continued the tour. We visited Molo Church in Molo, Iloilo. Afterwards, we once again rode the San Juaquin jeepney to visit Guimbal church and Tigbauan church as well as attend mass in either of these two. Fare is P25.00 from city proper to Guimbal and P7.50 from Guimbal to Tigbauan.

Since the mass was not until 5:00PM, we just decided to attend mass in Tigbauan church. Along the way, we stopped at an accidental discovery, Racso’s Woodland Inland Resort. Entrance fee is P50.00 and amenities include a restaurant, swimming pool, picnic areas, firing range, and room accommodations. They also have an aviary, an animal cave museum, and all sorts of animals.

From Racso’s, we rode a jeepney to get to Tigbauan church (fare: P7.50). The mass was at 4:30PM. And so we had our first hand experience of the Holy Mass celebrated in Ilonggo.



Common features among Iloilo’s old churches are the altars, the left and right wings near the altar, and the church being next to a plaza. Some churches also have very intricate details as well as traces of the Kastila influence where there is an elevated structure near the altar.

~ Realization ~ When going to Miag-ao church, it would be better to include in your itinerary for the day a visit to Guimbal church, Racso’s and Tigbauan church as well as UPV since they are just within the area. In addition, you can also save on transportation costs.

It’s now time to say goodbye.

Our flight was at 8:05AM, Iloilo to Davao. We left the hotel at 5:45AM and then rode a taxi (fare: P450.00) to get to the airport. It took us about 20 to 25 minutes to get there since it was still early in the morning. Terminal fee at the airport is P200.00.

For four days, we were able to experience a taste of Iloilo and Guimaras. Even though we had to find our way around an unfamiliar place, experience delays, and battle the heat of the sun, the experience was still an enjoyable and memorable one.

We left Iloilo and Guimaras with near empty pockets but with our hearts full and our lips saying “Namit gid!”